Lindsey Buckingham Says Stevie Nicks Forced Him Out of Fleetwood Mac

The decision to fire Buckingham and bring on Crowded House's Neil Finn and Tom Petty's right-hand man Mike Campbell to take his place earlier this year came as a huge surprise to practically everyone who thought that the different members of Fleetwood Mac had put their past differences behind them.

The lawsuit claimed that each member of the group would have earned about US$12 million to US$14 million for the 50-city tour, which kicked off last week.

"This is sad for me, but I want the next 10 years of my life to be really fun and happy", she explained.

It was reported that the guitarist and singer was asked to leave the band because he couldn't commit to a touring schedule, but Buckingham insists he was given his marching orders because Nicks could no longer share a stage with him.

"We rehearsed for two days, and everything was great", Buckingham explained of the performance.

In an interview with Rolling Stone published yesterday, Buckingham claimed he was sacked from Fleetwood Mac over the phone by the band's manager, Irving Azoff.

However, he defended his supposed smirking, noting it was just part of a long-running joke between the group's members.

In the suit, he says "After 43 years of camaraderie and friendship, not a single member of the Band called [me] to break the news" of his firing. As Buckingham tells it, Stevie Nicks was ticked off at Buckingham over his antics at a MusiCares benefit concert in January and she gave the band an ultimatum: Either he goes or she goes.

Even though Buckingham still has connections to Fleetwood Mac, such as his niece's husband working as a drum tech with the band, and he has attempted to contact Mac co-founder and drummer Mick Fleetwood, Buckingham and his former bandmates have not talked since the MusiCares event.

Buckingham said he learned he had been dropped two days after a Grammy Musicares celebration in NY in January 2018 honouring the main members of the band - Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Buckingham. After all, when you spend a lifetime in a band, getting fired over the phone is undoubtedly one of the worst ways to go.